Hi. Looking to do a two day cycle trip somewhere near Brisbane. Can't seem to find route suggestions or maps on the web. Can anyone post a link that will point me in the right direction? One option is to take the train to Ipswich and start from there. Any good ideas for a tour would be welcome. Not planning on doing more than about 160km over two days.Sagasups hope to do one trip tomorrow so if you have any ideas right now, it would be great!

It's kinda hard to conceive of an interesting two-day trip of 160km that would get you much beyond the city outskirts, but I've been living here too long, so what is commonplace to me may be very interesting to you. Ipswich would be a good starting point for a ride around the Lockyer Valley. Perhaps something like Ipswich, Rosewood, Grandchester, Laidley, Gatton, Lowood, Esk, Fernvale, Ipswich - there are many choices of roads you could take to join up these points that don't travel the busy highways. Check it out on Google maps. But bear in mind that parts of this area experienced major flooding in January and some roads may still be closed.

You could also get the train south to Robina and take a ride around the Tweed Valley in Northern NSW, or perhaps north to Caboolture or the Sunshine Coast. On most routes in these areas however you are likely to encounter quite a few hills.

Thanks for the suggestions RonK. Decided to go to Ipswich by train and then cycle to Boonah. Second day was a pleasant country route back from Boonah to Rosewood then on the train again to Brisbane. Just good to be out of the city, and enough choice of local roads to keep it interesting. Eventually found the Bikely site and that will be a great help next time we decide to head off. Still, would be nice to have some suggestions and reviews of different routes in the area. I was surprised that Brisbane Bicycle Touring Association, as a web site, didn't have any useful information about possible tour options. From the Bikely site I see that travel from Ipswich area to Caboolture might be a good two day trip to do next time.Sagagsu

sagasu wrote:From the Bikely site I see that travel from Ipswich area to Caboolture might be a good two day trip to do next time.

Yes, From Ipswich head for Rosewood then turn right and cross the Warrego Highway at Blacksoil. You can use Google Maps set to avoid highways to find the route to Fernvale.

Once you have crossed the busy highway it would be a pleasant enough ride up the Brisbane River Valley but traffic can be fairly heavy. After Fernvale I'd take the Wivenhoe-Somerset Road through Split Yard Creek (around the back of Wivenhoe Dam) right through to Somerset Dam. This would get you off the busy road but be warned there are a couple of decent hills on route.

There are several choices of very nice camping areas around Somerset and also a small shop. From Somerset it's a pleasant rural route back to Kilcoy but the road will be hilly and fairly busy onward to Caboolture as this is the main route to the South Burnett district.

sagasu wrote:Thanks for the suggestions RonK. Decided to go to Ipswich by train and then cycle to Boonah. Second day was a pleasant country route back from Boonah to Rosewood then on the train again to Brisbane. Just good to be out of the city, and enough choice of local roads to keep it interesting. .......................................................................Sagagsu

Yours is a really good effort to hit upon what is probably the best short tour within esy access to Brisbane.Also the weather must have been mediocre to terrible earlier this week.If you had more time, to the south of Boonah it is a beautiful ride to Killarney and Legume via Mt Alford BUT some of the hills are "walkers"

"Technology gives us much more information but Education is never be able to give us the skill to evaluate it"

PS, Blackbutt to Esk is the BNT. C'ya' on the BNT. The Bicentennial National Trail Museum is on the University of Queensland Gatton campus ... so if you ride the BNT, and have the time, don't overlook registering your ride with the BNT Association. If not for today, for 500 years from now.

"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

WarrenH wrote:C'ya' on the BNT. The Bicentennial National Trail Museum is on the University of Queensland Gatton campus ... so if you ride the BNT, and have the time, don't overlook registering your ride with the BNT Association. If not for today, for 500 years from now.

Wazza, I have cycled part of this route - from Moore to Blackbutt and return. It is indeed a nice ride and not overly steep.

However Blackbutt is 150km from Brisbane and transport options are limited, so it's not very accessible for a 2 day tour.

Ron, G'day. A two day ride, sounds like a weekend ride? When I first started touring, I started with the attitude of starting the ride at the furthest point from home. Which forces a rider to stay on tour ... if a rider starts riding from home, its too easy to turn back.

So I was thinking along the lines of of a rider catching the Brisbane Bus Line bus which leaves Brisbane at 5.15 pm on a Friday evening, arriving at Blackbutt at 7.25pm. Set up a camp at the BNT campground and spend the next two days riding back.

For Friday evening's meal head to the Blackbutt pub.

Warren.

PS, I was 2 days into a tour (Gone Yabbying) which started last Sunday, I've returned to Canberra today to get my snake proof gators. Starting from Canberra I went to Queanbeyan, riding south to Cuumubeun Nature Reserve on the Old Sydney Road which is an awesomely washed out road. Then through Hell's Hole appropriately named because of the Black snakes. Along the Western foreshores of Googong (more snakes alive, so many snakes it is worse than Ettrema or Yaouk Creek), across the Northern Tinderry Range, east into Bullongong (Yanununbeyan Reserve and Yanununbeyan National Park) then onto Captain's Flat, I've mostly been carrying my bike so far. I'm supposing about 2 more weeks it will take.

"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

WarrenH wrote:Ron, G'day. A two day ride, sounds like a weekend ride? When I first started touring, I started with the attitude of starting the ride at the furthest point from home. Which forces a rider to stay on tour ... if a rider starts riding from home, its too easy to turn back.

So I was thinking along the lines of of a rider catching the Brisbane Bus Line bus which leaves Brisbane at 5.15 pm on a Friday evening, arriving at Blackbutt at 7.25pm. Set up a camp at the BNT campground and spend the next two days riding back.

For Friday evening's meal head to the Blackbutt pub.

Warren.

PS, I was 2 days into a tour (Gone Yabbying) which started last Sunday, I've returned to Canberra today to get my snake proof gators. Starting from Canberra I went to Queanbeyan, riding south to Cuumubeun Nature Reserve on the Old Sydney Road which is an awesomely washed out road. Then through Hell's Hole appropriately named because of the Black snakes. Along the Western foreshores of Googong (more snakes alive, so many snakes it is worse than Ettrema or Yaouk Creek), across the Northern Tinderry Range, east into Bullongong (Yanununbeyan Reserve and Yanununbeyan National Park) then onto Captain's Flat, I've mostly been carrying my bike so far. I'm supposing about 2 more weeks it will take.

Jeez, I've caught that bus more than a few times many years ago when I worked in Brisbane but home was in Nanango.

Doing the ride that direction as you suggest makes it downhill too. For anyone wanting to ride this trail, I've found the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail website a little confusing as to what sections have been reopened since the January 2011 floods. It would pay to make contact and check before setting out.

It would take an extra day, by my personal preference would be to ride back to Brisbane from Esk around the Wivenhoe Dam and via the Northbrook Parkway over Mt Glorious, Mt Nebo and The Gap. It's a steep climb but offers spectacular views and a glorious rainforest ride. There are also some lovely picnic areas along the Northbrook Creek where camping should be possible.

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